Dr Reddy's faces patent infringement suit

Teijin Pharma Limited and US-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals filed complaint in district court of Delaware last week

Teijin Limited, owner of the US patent of hyperuricemia drug febuxostat, along with the two licence holders of the patent, has filed an infringement suit against Dr Reddy's Laboratories Limited for seeking to manufacture and sell a generic version of the drug in the US before the expiration of the patent.

The Japanese company, its subsidiary Teijin Pharma Limited and US-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals had filed a complaint in the district court of Delaware last week in this regard.

The plaintiffs informed the court they had received a written notification of Dr Reddy's ANDA (abbreviated new drug application) through a letter dated September 18, 2013.

Teijin and its associates contradicted the claim of Dr Reddy's that its ANDA does not infringe on the existing patent.The original patent is due to expire in March, 2019. Takeda markets and sells these tablets in the US under the brand name Uloric.